


Clean Water

by ich_bin_ein_stern



Series: Prompts w/Tony Stark [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: M/M, Mild Gore, Mild torture, mermaid!Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-03 02:44:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8693287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ich_bin_ein_stern/pseuds/ich_bin_ein_stern
Summary: Winteriron: Tony is a mermaid found and captured by Hydra, who are intrigued and want to see what makes him tick - leaving him in an empty, dry tub & see how long he lasts as he slowly suffocates; ripping off scales much like they would fingernails; burning him & seeing if there's a different affect to his skin than to humans (as examples). Bucky (aka Winter Soldier) is there to help w/ the 'experiments' but soon feels sorry for this creature. Cue rescue and jailbreak!





	

They’ve had him for weeks, maybe even months. Tony wasn’t sure and, at this point, he did not care. His skin was on fire despite the freezing wind. His tail, once glittering with beautiful red-orange scales, it’s beauty now a mere afterthought. The tub of which his kidnappers placed him in is filled with dirty water. Dry blood splatters on the edge and around the tub flake with each passing wind. 

At the sound of heavy footprints, he shutters. It could be the so-called “doctor” or one of his henchmen. They show up to test his limits. See how long he can last out of water. Take pliers to his scales. Burn his skin to see how fast it takes for it to re-heal.

The footsteps pause outside the room and Tony feels the dread slide across his skin. He feels sick.

The door opens and Tony catches a glimpse of an unknown man before focusing on the first man to enter the room. Tony tries to not flinch. It’s the doctor, two recognizable henchmen, and the unknown man. Upon closer inspection, as all of them enter the room, Tony sees a muzzle over the man’s face, like one would use for a dog. 

“Good evening,” the doctor states, a sinister smile gracing his face. “How are you feeling?”

When Tony doesn’t answer, the doctor carries on. “It’s a lovely day, don’t you think? I was given special permission to see you today outside of our regular schedule.”

He makes a motion to one of the other men who then exits the room for a moment and returns with a cart full of - Tony looks away in fear - drills and hooks and pliers and saws, all of various sizes and cleanliness. 

“Let us begin,” the doctor says smoothly.

And Tony spends hours screaming for mercy, eventually begging for death. Throughout the entire time, he tries to focus on the unknown man who, at times, seemed curious. Though Tony could tell, it was not from the torture, but rather his overall appearance.

He passes out.

~~~

When he comes to, the only one in the room with him is the muzzled man who stares at him with blank eyes. He’s standing at the door, as a guard.

If the situation weren’t so dark, Tony would have laughed. 

He spares a quick glance as his tail before looking away in disgust. The tub is still filthy, his tail tainted by ungodly means of torture. 

When he shifts, just slightly, a cry of pain erupts from his mouth and he stills. His chest starts heaving, his vision whites for a moment. He feels himself start to slip again when soft touches his head.

Glancing up, Tony sees the man staring at him with something akin to curiosity, maybe pity. He makes to say something, anything, but as the man gently strokes his greasy hair, Tony feels himself relax and soon falls asleep.

~~~

He is roughly awaken by beefy hands yank him from the tub. Pain shoots across his skin, burning so badly, he cries out, but only cruel laughter is his answer.

He is placed on something solid and loud, a table? Or board. Metal bars come down on his tail and wrists. A cold blast of air hits him, causes goosebumps to break out across his skin. 

“Now,” it’s the doctor. “Let’s see how long you can last before we need to take you off.”

The cold air becomes more intense, he’s freezing in a matter of seconds.

“Soldier, watch him. Do not touch.”

Tony turns his head towards the noise, tries to make out the figure of the man who’s brief act of kindness allowed him a restful sleep for the first time since his capture. The unknown from before is standing only a few feet away from the table? board? Tony doesn’t know.

The moment their eyes connect, Tony relaxes. Even for a bit. 

It’s not long until he loses feeling in his fingers, his arms since gone cold. His tail, which was full of pain now a dull ache compared to the cold. He feels his throat becoming dry. 

Their eyes remain connected. 

When he breathes in, he chokes. The air doesn’t come to him so easily.

He would cry if he could.

“I’m going to die,” he whispers, eyes becoming heavy. “But I’m glad I had the privilege of seeing someone like you.”

The man tilts his head, eyes narrowed in something like angry. He stays like that, almost like he is thinking before abruptly turning on his heel, pulling out a gun, and firing at something in the corner.

What happens after that, Tony can’t really recall. He remembers shouting, shots, and then…darkness.

~~~

When he wakes up, he’s no longer cold. There’s a dull ache in his tail and he’s no longer restrained. 

And he’s in water. 

Clean water within a large tank with no lid.

It felt amazing against his skin. He looked down at his tail, sees it somewhat bandaged within the water.

Looking beyond the glass, he sees the unknown man sitting several feet away, muzzle gone and longer hair framing his face.

He was handsome, really. Tony had come across many humans, but none looked like the man before him, gave him the same feelings of appreciation or likeness. 

Hesitating, Tony taps on the glass and waits. The man’s head snaps up, alert, and he moves to his feet slowly. When tony can fully see him, he sees the dry blood on the man’s clothes and a cut that was already healing on his temple.

He watches as the man approaches cautiously. 

Tony places a hand against the glass, watches as the man does the same; lining their hands up.

“You saved me.”

The man nods.

“Why?”

And it takes a minute for the man to organize his words, seeming to struggle with speaking. Tony recalls the muzzle and wonders how long the man was forced to wear it.

“B-because,” the man licks his chapped lips, “you ar-are _good_.”

Tony doesn’t know what to take from that, but he offers a nod.

“Are we safe?”

“Yes.”

The unspoken ‘for now’ is heard.

He lets himself sink to the bottom of the tank, feeling sleepy again.

“I will watch over you,” is the only thing he hears before passing out.

~The End~

**Author's Note:**

> This post is found originally on my blog - [click here](http://i-ship-tonystark-with-happiness.tumblr.com/post/151294674522/winteriron-tony-is-a-mermaid-found-and-captured)
> 
> Thank you for reading. ^_^


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